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The Lords' Alliance
The Alliance is a council of ruling interests from across the Riverlands, made up of nobles, guildmasters, and other elites. Open membership with the Alliance isn't particularly widespread or well known. Most peasants or even ranking subordinates might not ever know their liege or guild has ties to the Alliance. Especially now, it is essentially a secret society, one that relies on adventurers and intermediaries to exert its power and pursue its interests. Purpose and Goals The Lords' Alliance was founded just over a century ago, with a singular goal of putting an end to Vitraean expansion. The northern barony of Dalragar suffered many Vitraean attacks and looked to be the next target for a full invasion after the occupation of Starry Falls. Old enmities and feuds prevented a true military alliance of the Riverlands against the outside threat of the high elves, but sympathetic nobles wished to support Dalragar even if they couldn't mobilize their territories for traditional war. From this quagmire of political intractability, the Lords' Alliance was born. Rivalries To serve the Alliance, old enemies put aside their differences if only temporarily and only against this greater threat. Shared membership in the Alliance won't stop bitter rivals from competing against one another for resources, territory, or prestige. Wise and charismatic agents of the Alliance have at times resolved tensions between member powers with timely warnings of what certain hostile actions could do to harm the integrity of the Alliance, but these appeals don't always work. Especially as the Vitraeans cooled their hostilities and began a slower approach to expanding their empire, the necessity of the Alliance became less obvious over time. Many fall into the trap of thinking, "Why worry about the potential threat of the Vitraeans, when my current enemies are immediately present?" Methods and Tactics With leadership drawn from the already entrenched ruling elite, in theory the Lords' Alliance has no shortage of assets. In reality, those among its highest leadership do not often commit resources to the Alliance when those resources could be put to better use for their personal interests. In response the Alliance has created a policy of gathering its own resources whenever possible. True believers within the Alliance's ranks manage operations to hire spies, adventurers, and mercenaries to lay claim to lucrative villages, mines, and other valuable locations. These networks then funnel coin and information into the pockets of the Alliance itself, often in effect skimming from local interests. As these revenue-generating operations have expanded, the Alliance has naturally created enemies other than just the high elves. Merchants, rival factions, angry nobles, criminal syndicates, and all sorts of other interests have all had their toes stepped on by the Alliance at one time or another, and very few are willing to overlook this encroachment because of some platitudes about 'the greater good.' Hired Help versus Loyal Agents Alliance funds have hired countless mercenary companies and adventuring guilds to perform tasks that support the Alliance or undermine the Vitraeans. Nearer the time of its founding, the Alliance paid for huge mercenary armies to reinforce Dalragar. Adventurers often undertake these quests for pay without ever knowing the true allegiance of their benefactor. Those who have proved themselves capable and those that might share a temperament or outlook friendly to the Alliance are sometimes approached and offered more direct membership. These people become agents, tasked with more proactive involvement in expanding the Alliance's influence. Success then brings promotion, and adventurers who become agents of the Lords' Alliance can end up rubbing elbows with some of the more powerful people in the region.